Gift boxes



R. E. PAIGE GIFT BOXES July 21, 1959 Filed June 11, 1956 INVENTOR. RICH/ZED E. PA I65 2M4, f/MAL ATTORNEY United States Patent GIFT BOXES Richard E. Paige, New York, N .Y.

Application June 11, 1956, Serial No. 590,781

1 Claim. (Cl. 22935) My invention is an improved receptacle of the kind that can be made from a blank of suitable sheet material having portions that can be bent and secured in position to impart to the receptacle the form desired.

The receptacle when completed has the shape of a box or carton, comprising a body and an enveloping cover therefor, especially adapted for packaging gifts; and the outer surfaces of the carton are preferably given a finish resembling fancy wrapping paper, which is customarily used for boxes in which gifts are delivered to the recipients thereof.

An important object of this invention is to provide a gift box of superior construction that can easily be set up by manipulating a blank, and is so designed that the walls and bottom of both body and cover have added strength. Specifically the sides reinforce the ends and give the bottom increased strength and stiffness.

Another object is to provide a gift box which, in addition to the advantages above named, can be turned out with a great saving of material. Thus the cost of production, especially when the boxes of this invention are manufactured in large quantities, is greatly reduced.

These and other objects and advantages are fully and clearly set forth in the ensuing description, and the novel features of my improvement are defined in the appended claim. On the drawings 1 illustrate the best form of my invention now known to me but I reserve the right to make changes in details such as shape, size and arrangement of parts, without altering or omitting any of the essential characteristics of the receptacle.

On said drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank of cardboard having the necessary outline and portions marked oif by score lines to make the body of the box of this invention.

Figure 2 is a similar View of part of the blank for the cover.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one end of the body of the box without the cover, for example, showing how the sides and ends are disposed in relation to each other and to the bottom and secured in place.

Figure 3a shows a detail of the part of the securing means; and

Figure 4 is a view of the completed body and cover the latter being above and in readiness to be fitted down upon the body and envelop it.

The blank for the body of the box has two parallel longitudinal score lines or lines of fold 1, extending from one extremity of the blank to the other, and two similar parallel lines 2 extending across the blank. These longitudinal and transverse lines divide the blank into three sections, one for the bottom 3 in the center, and the other two for the sides 4 flanking the bottom, and each hinge-connected to the bottom 3 along one of the lines 2. Each side portion has an extension or flap 5 hinge connected to it along one of the lines 1 and another fiap 6 hinge-connected to it along the other line 1. The bottom portion 3 and side portions 4 are each Patented July 21, 1959 approximately square in configuration, and the flap 5 of one of the side portions is connected along the same line 2 as the flap or extension 6 of the other side of portion 4. The flaps 5 are approximately half as wide measured from the line 2 to the opposite edge as each portion 4 and the flaps 6 are slightly greater in width.

Each flap 5 is slightly wider adjacent the ends of the blank to present tabs 7, extending lengthwise of the blank, and longitudinally incut as shown in 8; while the flaps 6 are each cut away adjacent the opposite ends of the blank to form similar flaps, incut slightly as shown at 8 in the same manner. The tabs 7 on one pair of flaps 5 and 6 on one line 2 extend in one direction; and the tabs 7 of the other two flaps 5 and 6 extend in the opposite direction. Between each pair of flaps 5 and 6 the bottom 3 has flaps 9, each one being hinged along one line 2. These flaps are somewhat triangular, but have their outer ends cut off, so that they are of reduced Width or height measured from the line 1 outward to the ends of these flaps, having a transverse terminal edge 10.

Each of the flaps 9 has a pair of tabs 11, one being on each diagonal side of each flap 9 adjacent into its outer extremity, and each flap 5 and 6 has a tab cut diagonally across the corners adjacent the flaps 9 and in line with the adjacent intersection of lines 1 and 2, indicated by the cuts 12.

When this blank is bent to set up the body of the box, each of the sides 4 are bent up in respect to the bottom. Flaps 5 and 6 of each extremity are then bent toward each other and secured along their upper edges by causing the tab 7 of one to engage the tab 7 of the other. The portions of the tabs along the cuts 8 are locked together and the edges of the wider flaps 6 overlap the flaps 5 somewhat and within the body along the adjacent outer edges of the flaps 5. In this position the tabs 7 are all inside the body and hidden. The extensions 5 and 6 can now be forced inward till they make an angle with each other as indicated in Figure 3, and the flaps 9 are turned up and bent toward the flaps 5 and 6 to bring the tabs 11 thereon in line with the cuts 12. The tabs 11 are then forced into said cuts and "the extensions 5 and 6 are then moved outward and the flaps 11 are firmly locked to hold the flaps 9 against the outer faces of the extensions 5 and 6. The blank is thus very easy to manipulate when the box is to be given its intended shape. The manner in which the tabs engage each other is indicated on Figure 3a.

The blank for the cover of the box partly illustrated in Figure 2 is the same and has the same outline, score lines, tabs and approximate dimensions as the blank shown in Figure 1 except that the flaps 9a hinged to the bottom terminate in points, and the positions of the flaps 7 and 11 and cuts 12 are the same. Hence the cover can be set up and given its form in the same manner. Of COllISB the cover is a little larger than the body of the box so that it can be fitted upon the body, and the free edges of the side 4 have central recesses 13 so that the cover can be easily taken off the body when necessary. The concave edge 10 on the box permits the cover to be put on without binding at said edge, and binding would occur if the flaps 9 terminated in points. The end flaps 9 and 9a of box and cover, as indicated in Figures 3 and 4, is approximately less than half the height of the box and cover.

In one form of the box, one face of the blank on the exterior of the body and cover when the completed box is formed, may be so finished as to indicate stripes or any other attractive effect, giving it the appearance as being wrapped in ornamental paper. The box in itself then makes a complete receptacle and no wrapping is needed except cords of silk or other material to hold the body and cover together.

By the above described construction with the side walls 4 of the box having flaps 5 and 6 folded against them and up from'the bottom 4 help to make the end walls, the flaps 9 and 9a can be comparatively small. Hence there is considerable saving in the amount of cardboard that is used in both the body and cover.

Because the end flaps 9 and 9a do not have to be as high as the side walls 4 of the body or cover, and only require to be connected by tabs 11 which fit into cuts 12 in the side flaps 5 and 6, the bottom 3 is strengthened and stiffened by the flaps 9 and 9a. At the same time the sides 4 are rigidly connected in position crosswise at the ends.

The cardboard of the blank is of course resilient and flexible and the side flaps 5 and 6 can easily be pushed inward as shown in Figure 3 far enough to receive the tabs 11 on the flaps 9 and 9a into the cuts 12. After the tabs 11 enter the cuts or slits 12 the side flaps 5 and 6 spring back into their final positions. The shape of the side flaps 5 and 6 and the triangular flaps 9 and 9a give a very improved look to the ends of the box. The flaps 9 have the terminal edge instead of a point like the flaps 9a to facilitate putting on the cover, and reducing the liability of the ends of the box being obstructed when the cover is pressed down on the body.

It is important that the design above described saves costs. Usually boxes that are hooked together require all four walls of the box to be the full height of the box, and this in turn causes a large and costly lay-out on the die-cut blank of cardboard from which the box will be cut.

This is especially true when the middle flaps hinged to the bottom 1 are four-sided and of the same size as the bottom 1. But in this invention the side walls of the box can be folded around and become the main parts of the end walls of the box thereby allowing the end flaps 9 and 9a to be made much smaller. This entails a very sizeable economy in the layout of the box. Experience has shown that between 20 and 30 percent of the cardboard is saved by making the box in this new way.

Because these end wall flaps are no longer necessary of full height they need only be tabbed into the two side flaps that now make up the end wall. This serves to strengthen the bottom of the box because the end wall flaps stiffen it by bending at a right angle to it. Each end wall flap does not have to retain any weight and therefore is merely held in place by a couple of tabs 11.

Conveniently, an old fashioned box with large end flaps could be set up easily enough. In this invention, such an advantage is retained, and only two simple motions for the hooking together of the ends of the box, just as in the former boxes, are required.

First the side flaps 5 and 6 are joined together and then one presses in the short end panel 9 or 9a. For this, there is enough flexibility and give in those two panels, at their bottom edges, so that they will swing back enough to let the tabs 11 of the flaps 9 and 9a enter two slits 11 one in each flap 5 or 6. After the tabs 11 enter these slits 12, the flaps 5 and 6 spring back and the box is fully shaped.

The ends of the receptacle have a much improved appearance. They are less cut-up looking and the saving plus a convenient lock and better look makes this box a desirable article. There is also the other great advantage of making the end walls of the box by means of the sides and having the end wall flaps much shorter.

The box as shown is square, but of course it may be made with the bottom and sides longer between the score lines 1, and the same etfect can be obtained with the flaps connected to the sides and bottom.

Having described my invention what I believe to be new is:

A box formed of a blank having longitudinal parallel lines of fold adjacent opposite edges thereof and transverse lines joining said longitudinal lines and dividing the blank into a bottom and side portions, the side portions each having oppositely disposed flaps along the opposite edges hinge-connected to said side portions along the said longitudinal lines, the bottom portion having oppositely disposed flaps hinge-connected to its ends, each of said last-named flaps lying between adjacent side flaps along the same longitudinal line, and having converging edges and a transverse outer concave edge, the side flaps having tabs at the outer corners adjacent to the ends of the blank, so that when the sides are turned upright the side flaps can be joined together by said tabs, the end flaps connected to the bottom having tabs on the converging edges at the extremities of the outer concave edge, the said side flaps having near the bottom slits in which the last-named tabs are received, and a cover for said box made up of a blank having the same construction with respect to the sides, bottom and end flaps, with the end flaps having converging side edges of substantially equal length, so as to be triangular in outline and terminating in points, centrally located on the lastnamed flaps, and having tabs at the sides spaced from said points, the height of the box and cover being substantially equal and the height of the end flaps of both body and cover each being less than half the height of the box and cover.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 186,459 Buckingham Jan. 23, 1877 2,300,492 Fischer Nov. 3, 1942 2,492,454 Anderson Dec. 27, 1949 

